Various kinds of computers have become very common. Specifically, general purpose digital computers for home and office and special purpose game playing computers utilizing Television screens have become far more common in homes with children. Using a computer presents one draw back for humans that is not easily self evident. Human health is impacted by continuous and sustained use of computers. The areas in which human health is impacted are: posture strain caused by sitting in one position for a long time, wrist/finger strain caused by heavy use of keyboard and mouse, and eye and head strain caused by sustained visualization of the computer display in the form of a video screen.
Over the years, the public has become conscious of these factors and there have been developed various products to counter the adverse effect on human health. Examples of such products are: special furniture designs for computer use, wrist pads, ergonomic keyboards, tilt screens, and glare shield screens. While these products help, they may not be totally effective in all those human health areas that are impacted by the use of computers. For example, body postures sustained for long times still strain the body's muscles. Moreover, none of these products are intended to solve the eye fatigue problem caused by sustained close up visualization of the video screen. Sustained close up visualization of a video screen presents a unique problem of its own, which has not been widely understood by public using the computers.
The muscles in the eye that control the focussing of the eye lens, called ciliary muscles, are at rest when the eye is focussed at a far distance. These muscles contract to change the curvature of the eye lens to enable it to focus at close distances. For example, eyes looking at objects 20 feet or greater away do not use focussing muscles in the eye. Alternately, the eyes looking at distances shorter than 20 feet until the reading distance cause the eye muscles to be proportionately contracted until they are fully contracted the maximum amount to focus at the reading distance.
Normal operation of the human vision, before computers became prevalent, required looking at objects at all distances, so that the eye muscles for focussing at various distances were in continuous play. Even while doing close work such as sewing or reading a book, the focussing muscles were activated periodically. In contrast, when a computer screen is looked at, the focussing distance is fixed, and remains fixed. This requires the eye's focussing muscles to remain in the strained state for long periods of time. This is an artificial or an unnatural use of muscles of the eye brought on by the use of computers in this manner.
Like other muscles in the body, the ciliary muscles are fatigued by sustained focusing on a video screen. If the body remains in one posture for a long time, the muscles are strained. The eye muscles when looking at a screen are strained. This commonly is one of the leading causes of deterioration of eye's ability to focus at far objects or also called near sightedness. Research validates, that the cause of increase of near sightedness or myopia in the world has been the indoor working environments and the lack of opportunities to focus the eyes at far distance.
In Cornell Chronicle (Jun. 22, 1995), Roger Segelken writes "The visual experience of close work the reading, writing and arithmetic that young eyes never evolved to do--finally is being seen as one cause for the worldwide increase in myopia". He quotes Cornell University, vision researcher and professor of neurobiology, Howard C. Howland, "Ten years ago, most researchers believed that myopia was only genetically controlled, Howland said. Now, the effect of environmental and feedback loops on growth of the eye is known: When eyes are not focussed in the distance, they grow the wrong way".
This research establishes a connection between focussing muscles of the eye lens and near sightedness or myopia which is the lengthening of the eye ball. The connection is that if the eyes do close work for sustained periods of time, then the eye muscles that focus the eye lens, also exert forces on the shape of the eye ball, making it longer and thereby causing myopia.
Ubiquitousness and increase in various kinds of computer simulations and games for adults and children makes the problem worse. In these situations the users are not conscious of the sustained focussing at a computer screen and the harm being caused to their eyes. Use of computers plays a pivotal role in users having to focus at video screens for sustained periods of time.
The groups of people most vulnerable are those working in data processing and similar environments, requiring staying in front of a computer terminal for better part of the day and children engrossed in games that last for long periods of time; and those who might loose track of time, of how long they have been sitting in front of a computer terminal.
Therefore an object of the present invention is to find a method to minimize the fatigue of the eye muscles while working on a computer.
Another object of the present invention is to find a method to minimize the fatigue on aspects of the human body strained by sitting in one posture, while working on a computer.
Another object is to find a method that would minimize the increase in myopia brought on by heavy use of computers for educational as well as entertainment purposes.